Loom



L. N. LINSCOTT Oct. 8, 1946.

LOOM

Filed Oct. 12, 1943- 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. LEROY/V L nvscorr BY JA T TORNEX Oct 8, 1946. L. N. LINSCOTT LOOM 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct.12, 1943 INVENTOR Laney M Lm/scorr ATTORNEY Oct. 8, 1.946. L. N. LlNSiCOTT LOOM ' Filed Oct. 12. 1943 8 Sheets-Shget 3 4 IN V EN TOR.

V L EROYM L/Arscarr A mm A TTOR/VE K L. N. LINSCOTT 2,408,861

I LOOM Filed Oct. 12, 1943 4 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. EROYM L INSCOr-r ATTORA/EK m. 8, 1946. Y s co 2,408,861

' LOOM Filed Oct. 12, 1943 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 IN V EN TOR. lE/wr/V.Lmascorr ,4 TTOIP VAEX Patented Qct. 8, 1946 LOOM Leroy N. Linscott,Yonkers, N. Y., assignor to Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company,Yonkers, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 12, 1943,Serial No. 505,912

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for making pile fabricsfor use as a reinforcement or support in molded articles. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a loom for making a looped pilefabric having a filler extending transversely of the fabric through theloops of each row of looped pile and secured in the fabric by saidloops.

In copending application Serial No. 448,802, filed June 2'7, 1942, forReinforcements and molded articles containing the same, there isdescribed an article of manufacture for use as a reinforcement in moldedarticles comprising a pile fabric having rows of looped pile and afiller positioned within and extending through the loops of each rowthereof. As further disclosed in said application, the looped pilefabric, including the filler extending through the loops thereof, isutilized as a reinforcement in the manufacture of molded articles, thenature of the pile filler depending on the material to be molded. Forexample, and as further disclosed in said application, when thereinforcement is to be used in the manufacture of molded rubbermaterials, such as re-treads for automobile tires, the pile filler isformed of rubber.

An object of this invention is to provide a method of making a loopedpile fabric having a filler extending transversely of the fabric andpassing through a row of looped pile.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of making afabric having a looped pile on one side thereof and, during theproduction of such fabric, interweaving a filler which extendstransversely of the fabric and passes through each row of looped pile.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for carryingout the previously mentioned method.

A further object of this invention is to provide a loom for weaving apile fabric of the type previously mentioned.

Other objects will become apparent from following description.

The objects of this invention are, in general, accomplished by layingthe pile filler in the shed during the Weaving operation and just priorto the formation of the looped pile whereby, upon formation of thelooped pile, the pile filler will be interwoven in the fabric and eachfiller will extend transversely through each row of looped pile. As willhereafter be more fully explained, during the weaving of the looped pilefabric and just prior to the looping of the pile warp the pile filler islaid in position in the shed by a hollow the needle that carries thefiller and to which it is temporarily secured. The needle isreciprocated transversely of the shed. At the end of the forwardmovement of the needle, the leading end of the pile filler whichprojects from the front end of the'needle and beyond the edge of theshed is gripped by grippers positioned adjacent one edge of the shed andthe means securing the filler to the needle actuated to release thefiller. The needle is then returned to its original position, and acutting mechanism adjacent the other edge of the shed is actuated tosever the filler. The grippers are then actuated to release the filler.While in its original position, the filler is secured in the needle andthe cycle of steps re peated until the desired length of fabric iswoven. The various mechanisms hereinbefore generally referred to areembodied in a, standard loom and are actuated and operated in timedrelationship with each other and with the other operating parts of theloom.

In order to more fully explain the details of the invention, a specificillustrative embodiment will now be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings illustrating the same, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a loom (Crompton 8r Knowles Jacquardloom) embodying the invention;

Figure 2' is a top plan view of the apparatus constituting theinvention, the other features of the loom being omitted for convenienceand clarty;

Figure 3 is a front shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan View of the apelevation of the apparatusparatus showing the needle at the end of its forward movement, andshowing the means for releasing the filler from the tube, the cuttingmechanism, and a portion of the mechanism for actuating the grippers;

Figure 5 is an enlarged front View of the apparatus shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the grippers and the means for actuating thegrippers to open position; Figure '7 is an elevation of the grippers asviewed from the right of Figure '6 with the means for actuating thegrippers to open position omitted;

i e anism;

Figure 9 is an end View of the cutting mechanism as viewed from theright of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a top view of the cutting mechanism;

8 is a side elevation of the cutting mech- 3 Figure 11 is a sectiontaken on the line II--'II of Figure 4;

Figure 12 is a section taken on the line I2--I2 of Figure 4;

Figure 13 is a top plan view of the gripper actuating mechanism;

Figure 14 is a section taken on the line I l-44 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a front elevation of the tension device;

Figure 16 is a side elevation of the tension device looking t the leftof Figure 15-;

Figure 17 is a section takenon the line II'-II of Figure 16; V

Figure 18 is a bottom view of the tension mechanism shown in Figure 16;

Figure 19 is a section taken on the line IS-IS of Figure 16; and

Figure 20 is a section taken on the line 20-40 of Figure 15.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designatelike parts, and partlcularly to Figure 1, there is shown the wellknownCrompton 8c Knowles Jacquard loom which comprises a cumber board 2, theheddles 4, the heddle cam lever 6, the heddle drive gear 8, the lashcords I0, the reed I2, the shuttle boxes I4, the lay swords I6, thepicker sticks [8, the lay I9, the rocker shaft 20, and the take-up handwheel 22. warps and the pile warps are fed to the loom in the usualmanner. Since the other details of construction of such Crompton &Knowles loom are well known and the method of operation of the same isalso Well known, further description of the standard parts of the loom,except as modified by the instant invention and which will hereafter bemore fully set forth, is deemed unnecessary.

Still referring to Figure 1, the means for laying the pile fillertransversely of the shed, the gripper mechanism and the cut-offmechanism are generally indicated by the reference characters A, B and Crespectively. In order to permit feeding and laying of the pile filler Funder proper tension and to inhibit flying and tangling thereof as it isled to the filler-laying means during the operation of the loom, atension device, generally indicated by the reference character E (seeFigure 3), is provided. v

The pile filler-laying mechanism A comprises a hollow needle which laysthe pile filler transversely of the shed in positionv for the pile Warpto be looped thereover. The needle 30 is secured to and carried by aplurality of spaced straps 32 attached to a holder 34 slidably mountedon a rail 36 (see Figure 11) carried by the frame of the loom. Theholder 34 is provided with a pin 38 which cooperates with a slot 40 inone arm of a bracket 42. The other arm 44 of the bracket 42 is securedto a slide 46 slidably mounted on a rail 08 carried by the frame of theloom. The holder The ground warps, the binding 4 pression spring 68 islocated between a nut I0 and the bottom of the head 64, and a spring I2is located in the head 64.

The lever 62 is pivotally mounted at I6 and at its lower end carries acam roller I8 which rides in a cam slot as in a cam 82. The cam 82 ismounted on a shaft 84 which is driven from the main drive shaft throughsuitable and appropriate connections (not shown). It will thus be seenthat as the cam 82 rotates, the lever 62 will be rocked about its pivot16 and the motion of the lever 62 will, through the resilient link 60,move the lever 54 back and forth about the pivot 56, wherebyreciprocatory movement will be imparted to the carriage carrying theneedle. Adjustable stops 86 and 88 are provided at the end of the,travel of the carriage in each direction. By appropriate design of thecam slot 80, the lever 54, and adjustment of the resilient link 60, thelength of path of travel of the carriage may be made as desired.

The springs 68 and I2 01 the resilient link serve to cushion andfacilitate the movement of the lever 54 during operation. Forconvenientv movement, the resilient link 60 is secured to the. lever 62by means of a pin 89 fastened in the slot 90.

The needle 30 is of a length so that when the carriage is advanced toits extreme inward movement, it will extend throughout the width of theshed and present the leading end or" the filler pile in position to begripped by the grippers B. The needle is provided with an opening 92 inits wall intermediate the ends. Secured to the holder 34 I is a bracket94 carrying an arm 96 to which the member 98 is secured. The member 98is provided with a bore 99 which communicates with an enlarged bore I00terminating in a slot IOI. An

' enlarged head I02 on one end of a plunger I03 is 34, together with thebracket 42 and the slide 46,

may be termed a carriage. 5, the slide 46 is provided with a pin 50.which is positioned in a slot 52 in one end of a. lever 54, the otherend of the lever 54 being pivotally mounted at 56 on a support 58carried by the frame of the loom. The lever 54 is connected by an.adjustable and resilient link 60 to a lever 62. As shown inFigure 3, thelink 60 comprises heads 63 and 64. The head 63 is threadedly secured ona rod 65. said rod 66. For reasons which will become apparent from thedescription hereafter, a com- As shown in Figure positioned in the slotIOI. A spring I04, cooperating with the enlarged head I02 and theshoulder I05, normally urges the enlarged head I02 forwardly into andthrough the opening 92 of the needle 30, whereby the pile filler isclamped to the needle. The plunger I03 is secured at I06 to a collarI01. Intermediate the member 08 and the collar I07 there is provided aplunger-operating cam I08 having a V-shaped cam segment I09 and adaptedto lie in a V-shaped slot provided in the free end of the member 68 whenthe head I0! is in clamping position. The plunger-operating cam I00 isprovided with a cam lever I I2 which is adapted to be engaged to actuatethe cam I08 to position the plunger I03 in position to either clamp thepile filler to the needle or be in inoperative position, as will now beexplained.

Just prior to the end of the inward movement of the carriage, the camlever I I2 engages a stop I22 carried on the frame of the loom, whichrotates the plunger-operating cam I08 in a direction to cause the camsegment I09 to ride on the member 08 and thereby withdraw the'plungerI03, whereby the head I02 is removed from clamping position and the pilefiller will be released. When the carriage is at its extreme inwardmovement, the needle will extend transversely of the shed and the pilefiller F will bein position to be gripped by the grippers B uponactuation thereof.

The head 64 is slidably mounted on 7 When the carriage is retracted toits original position, a; member I24 will engage the cam lever H2 androtate the same until the cam segment I09 is.in the slot, whereby theplunger I03 will be urged inwardly. and the head I02. will clamp thepile filler to the needle.

The gripper mechanism B (see Figures 6 and 7) is carried by a bracketI30 mounted on the loom frame. An arm I32 is secured to a rod I34 whichpasses through a guide I35 secured to the bracket I36 and a guide I32carried by the frame and which is adapted to be moved transversely inboth directions in a horizontal plane, as will be hereafter explained.In the form shown in Figure 6, the rod I34 is secured to the arm I32.Keyed to the arm I32 is a plate I35. As also shown in Figures 6 and '1,the plate I36 is provided with a tongue I31 which is slidably positionedin a groove I39 in the arm I32, whereby the plate I36 may be positionedrelative to the arm I32. A nut I II secures the plate I36, afteradjustment, to the arm I32. A slide I38 is pivotally secured by a studI43 to the plate I35. The slide I38 is positioned in and cooperates witha slot Hill in a heart-shaped member M2. The heatshaped member I62 isprovided with a boss M4, in which one end of a shaft I46 is secured. Thebracket I35 is provided with a member I48 through which the shaft I46passes and which serves as a journal for one end of a shaft I59. It isto be noted that the shafts I46 and I56 also are rotatably positioned inan extension I5I of the bracket 135. Gears I52 and I54 are securelymounted on the shafts I 35 and I56 respectively in meshing relationship.A male gripper member I58 and a female gripper member I58 are secured toth shafts M6 and I56 respectively. A cover plate I56 is provided on theheartshaped member I52. It will thus be seen that (assuming the grippersI56 and I58 are in open (position) when the rod I34 is movedhorizontally to the left in Figure 6, the arm I32 will move therewith,causing the slide I33 to move in the slot Hit of the heart-shaped memberI22 in such a direction that the heart-shaped member I 22 will rotatethe shaft I55, and hence the gear I52 will rotate. Rotation of the gearI52 will rotate the gear I54. and the shaft I53) on which it is carried,whereby the female gripping member I53 will move into grippingrelationship with the male member I56 to seize and hold the pile fillerpresented by the needle. Movement of the rod I34 in the oppositedirection will cause the slide I38 to move in a direction whereby thegrippers I55 and I58 will be disengaged and the pile filler released.

The gripping mechanism is actuated to grip the leading end of the pilefiller in timed relationship with the movement of the needle carriage,as will now be described.

The carriage, and particularly the slide 43 thereof, is provided with atrip member I65 so positioned that when the carriage is at its extremeinward movement it will engage a bellcrank lever I63, which is pivotallymounted at I on the frame of the loo-m to actuate a mechanism to causethe rod I34 to move to the left,,

tends to urge the rod I34 to actuate the grippers,

IES and I58 into closed gripping relationship. The block I12 is carriedon a bracket I86 mounted on the frame of the loom.

To maintain the grippers I56 and I58 in open, non-gripping relationshipin'position to receive the leading end of the pile filler, the rod I34is provided with a reduced portion I82 whichis adapted to be engaged andlocked in position by a head I84 of a plunger I86 positioned in avertical bore I88 of the block I12. As shown in Figure 14, the plungerI86 is provided at its lower end with an enlarged head I90 which is incooperative relationship with an expansion spring I92 carried on ahorizontal leg I94 of a support I95, the vertical leg I96 thereof beingfixedly secured to the block I12. The spring I92normally tends to urgethe plunger I86 upwardly into position to lock the rod.

To release the rod I34 from locked position, the plunger adjacent theenlarged head I96 is provided with a pin I98 cooperating with thehorizontal arm I68 of the bell-crank lever I58. It will thus be seenthat when the trip member I63 engages the vertical arm of the bell-cranklever I58, the bell-crank lever will move about the pivot I16, causingthe horizontal arm I59 to engage the pin I98 and depress the plungeragainst the action of the spring I 92, and removing the head I86 fromlooking relationship with the reduced portion I82 of the rod I34. Theexpansion spring I16, upon the release of the shaft by the plunger, willcause it to move toward the left in Figure 14, a suitable stop beingprovided to limit the movement of the rod I34.

After the leading end of the pile filler has been gripped, the needle 36is withdrawn to its original position where the filler is securedtherein, as previously described. When the needle has been retracted,the cutting mechanism C cuts the filler and, substantiallysimultaneously with the cutting, a member I1 carried by the lay I9 whichis oscillated by the lay swords I6 strikes against a cam 20!} adjustablysecured on the arm I32, causing the arm I32 to actuate the grippers toopen, non-gripping relationship through the mechanism previouslydescribed. This movement of the arm I32, effected by the lay,also'causes the rod I34 to move to the right of Figure 6 and against theaction of the expansion spring I16. The contour of the cam 2Iiilis suchthat when engaged by the lay it will move the rod I3 3 sufiiciently tothe right, as viewed in Figures 6 and 14, to permit the plunger I86 toengage the reduced portion I82 of the rod I35 and again lock it inposition.

After the needle has been retracted, the grip pers release the pilefille'r yarn substantially at the moment the filler pile is severed bythe mechanism generally indicated by the reference character C and shownin Figures 8, 9 and 10, to which reference will now be had.

The cutting mechanism comprises an oscillating disc 2ID which ispivotally mounted at 5H2 on a stationary disc 2I4. The oscillating disc2w is provided with a pin 2I6 on the outer face 7 thereof whichcooperates with an arcuate slot 2 I 8 formed in the stationary disc 2IA. The two discs 2H) and 2H! are provided with aligned apertures 22:}and 222, each of said holes being provided with a beveled cutting edge224 and 225 respectively. The holes 220 and 222 are normally in alignedrelationship and of a diameter to per-- mil; the passage of the needletherethrough in the needles travel to lay the pile filler thread in theshed. The movable disc 2 ID is provided with an integral forked lever230 which is secured to a rod 232. As shown in Figure 3, the rod 232 isconnected at 234 to one end of the bell-crank lever 236, which ispivoted at 238. The otherarm 246 of the bell-crank lever 236 isconnected by, an

adjustable link 24| to one end of a lever 242, the other end 244 of thelever 242 being secured in the frame. Intermediate its ends, the lever242 is provided with a cam roller 246 which cooperates with the camsurface 248 also on the cam 8'2. Springs 250 and 252 connect the link MIand the lever 242, respectively, to a rigid member 254 carried by theframe of the loom. It will thus be seen that when the raised portion 256of the cam surface 248 engages the cam roller 246, the oscillatingmember 2 I will be caused to move about its pivot 212 whereby thecutting edges 224 and 226 will shear the filler thread. A pair ofsprings 26!! and 262, engaging nuts 264 and 266 carried by pins 2I6 andH2 respectively, engages the rear face of the stationary disc 2I4 andserves to maintain it in close contactual relationship with theoscillating disc. It is to be noted that the cut-off mechanism seversthe pile filler at a point spaced from the inner end of the needle so asto provide a length of filler projecting from the needle to be grippedby the gripper. After cutting the pile filler, it is beaten into thefabric by the reed I2 and the pile warp looped thereover.

The pile filler thread F is withdrawn from a source of supply 300 andfed to the needle 30.

In order to apply the proper tension to the pile filler thread and toinhibit it from whipping during the operationof the loom, the tensiondevice, generally designated by the reference character E, is provided.As shown in Figure 3, the tension device is carried on a bracket 302which is secured to a stand 304. Secured to the bracket 332 is a fixedmember 366 which is provided in its upper and lower edges with groovesin which ribs 308 and 3 I 0 of a frame 3 I 2 are slidably mounted. Thefixed member 306 is provided with an opening 3 I 4 and a pair ofparallel members 3I6 and 3I8 which constitute bearings for the shafts320 and 322 carrying a pair of horizontal idler rollers 324 and 326. Thefixed frame also is provided with a vertical shaft 339 on which avertical roll 332 is carried. A vertical roll 334 is mounted on theshaft 336 which is secured in the slidable frame 3I2. The shaft 336cooperates with slots 338 in the fixed member 336. The fixed member 306is secured to the slidable member 3I2 by means of bolts 340. It is to benoted that the bolts 34!] pass through slots 342 in the slidable member3I2. A spring 344 is secured to the fixed member 306, and the other endsecured to a bolt 346 passing through the vertical member 348 of theslidable frame.

In operation, the pile filler thread is caused to pass between thehorizontally disposed rolls 324 and 326 and thence between the passageformed by the vertical rolls 332 and 334. Whenever a thickened portionattempts to pass between the vertical rolls 332 and 334, the verticalroll 334 will move laterally. This is due to the fact that the shaftthereof is secured in the frame 3I2, and such movement is permitted byvirtue of the slots 338 in the fixed member 306. The lateral movement ofthe shaft 336 causes the movable frame 3I2 to act against the pressureof the sprin 344, causing the slidable frame 3 I2 to move relative tothe fixed frame 306. When the thickened portion has been eliminated orhas passed by, the action of the spring 344 will restore the position ofthe vertical roller,

It is apparent that the composition of the pile filler F depends on theultimate use of the reinforcement. When the reinforcement is to be usedin the manufacture of rubberized material,

8 the pile filler is preferably formed of rubber strand. Though variouscross-sections of the pile filler may be used, best results are obtainedwhen it is circular in cross-section and is substantially continuous inlength. When such a filler is used, the loom, and particularly theapparatus hereinbefore described, should be adjusted so that when thefiller is laid and interwoven in the fabric, it will be in a relaxedcondition or under sufiicient tension to permit it to lay straight inthe fabric and control the length of pile filler that is laid in thefabric.

The various mechanisms herein described are designed to be actuated intimed relationship with respect to each other and with respect to theother operating mechanisms of the loom. It will be apparent to a personskilled in the art that the various elements of the apparatus hereindescribed may be adjusted and controlled within wide limits and, thoughthe invention has been applied to a Crompton 81 Knowles Jacquard loom,it is not restricted thereto since it can be applied to any loom makinga looped pile fabric.

Since it is obvious that various changes and modifications may be madein the above description without departing from the nature or spiritthereof, this invention i not restricted thereto except as set forth inthe appended claims.

I claim: I

1. In a loom for making a looped pile fabric,

pile filler gripping means adjacent one edge of the shed, pile fillersevering means adjacent the other edge of the shed, a hollow needle,said needle having an opening intermediate the ends thereof, a plungerpositioned in said opening, a plunger-operating cam, means to actuatesaid cam t depress said plunger to secure the pile filler in saidneedle, means to move said needle transversely of the shed and presentthe leading end of the pile filler in position for gripping by saidgripping means, means to actuate said gripping means to grip saidleading end presented by said needle, means to actuate saidplunger-operating cam to withdraw said plunger to release the pilefiller from said needle, means to retract the needle to its originalposition, means to actuate the severing mechanism to sever the pilefiller after the needle has been retracted to its original position, andmeans to actuate said gripping means to release said pile filler.

2. In a loom for making a looped file fabric, pile filler gripping meansadjacent one edge of the shed, pile filler severing means adjacent theother edge of the shed, a carriage having a hollow needle securedthereto, means to reciprocate said carriage to move said needle back andforth across the shed, said needle having an opening intermediate theends thereof, a plunger positioned in said opening, a plunger-operatingcam, means to actuate said cam to depress said plunger to secure thepile filler in said needle prior to its inward movement across the shed,means on said carriage to actuate said gripping means to grip theleading end of the pile filler presented by said needle, means toactuate said plunger-operating cam to withdraw said plunger to releasethe pile filler from said needle prior to retracting the needle to itsoriginal position, means to actuate the severing mechanism to sever thepile filler after the needle has been retracted to its original.position, and means to actuate said gripping adjacent the other edge ofthe shed, a carriage having a hollow needle secured thereto, means toreciprocate said carriage to move said needle back and forth across theshed, means to secure the pile filler in said needle prior to its inwardmovement across the shed, means on said carriage to actuate saidgripping means to grip the leading end of the pile filler presented bysaid needle, means to release the pile filler from said needle prior toretracting the needle to its original position, means to actuate thesevering mechanism to sever the pile filler after the needle has beenretracted to its original position, and means operated by the lay toactuate said gripper means to release said pile filler.

4. In a loom for making a looped pile fabric,

means to lay a pile filler transversely of the shed,

gripping means adjacent one edge of the shed to grip the leading end ofsaid pile filler, and cutting means adjacent the other edge of the shedto sever said filler material, said cutting means comprising a fixeddisc provided with an aperture having a cutting edge, a disc pivotallymounted on said fixed disc and provided with an aperture having acutting edge, said apertures normally being in alignment to permitpassage of the pile filler therethrough, and means to oscillate thepivotally mounted disc whereby the cutting edges will sever the pilefiller.

5. In a loom for making a looped pile fabric, means to lay a pile fillertransversely of the shed, gripping means adjacent One edge of the shedto grip the leading end of said pile filler, and cutting means adjacentthe other edge of the shed to sever said filler material, said cuttingmeans comprising a fixed disc provided with an aperture having a cuttingedge, a disc pivotally mounted on said fixed disc and provided with anaperture having a cutting edge, said apertures normally being inalignment to permit passage of the pile filler therethrough, means tooscillate the pivotally mounted disc whereby the cutting edges willsever the pile filler, and means to limit the extent of movement of saidpivotally mounted disc during the oscillation thereof.

6. In a loom for making a looped pile fabric, means to lay a pile fillertransversely of the shed, gripping means adjacent one edge of the shedto grip the leading end of said pile filler, and cutting means adjacentthe other edge of the shed to sever said filler material, said cuttingmeans comprising a fixed disc provided with an aperture having a cuttingedge, a disc pivotally mounted on said fixed disc and provided with anaperture having a cutting edge, said apertures normally being inalignment to permit passage of the pile filler therethrough, a pin onthe pivotally mounted disc cooperating with an arcuate slot in the fixeddisc, and means to oscillate the pivotally mounted disc at predeterminedintervals whereby the cutting edges will sever the pile filler.

7. In a loom for making a looped pile fabric having a lay, areciprocating carriage provided with a hollow needle carrying a pilefiller, a slidably mountedrod, an arm secured to said rod carrying aslide, a shaft, a plate secured to said shaft and having a slotcooperating with said slide, a gripper element on said shaft, a secondshaft, a second gripper element on said second shaft, a gear on each ofsaid shafts, aid gears being in meshing relationship, means to lock saidrod against sliding movement to maintain said gripper elements in openposition, means on the carriage to release the locking means to permitsiiding movement of the rod whereby movement of said arm will cause saidgripper elements to move relative to each other to grip theleading endof the pile filler presented thereto by said needle, and means on saidarm positioned to be engaged by the lay to actuate the gripper-operatingmechanism to release the pile and move said rod into locking position.

8. In, a loom for making a looped pile fabric having a lay, areciprocating carriage provided with a hollow needle carrying a pilefiller, a slidably mounted rod, an arm secured to said rod carrying aslide, a shaft, a plate secured to said shaft and having a slotcooperating with said slide, a gripper element on said shaft, a secondshaft, a second gripper element on said second shaft, a gear on each ofsaid shafts, said gears being in meshing relationship, a block having abore through which said rod extends, a springpressed plunger in saidblock adapted to engage a reduced portion of said rod in said bore tolock said rod against sliding movement, means actuated by the movementof the carriage to release said plunger from locking relationship withsaid rod, spring means to slidably move said rod upon release of thelocking means to actuate said gripper elements to move relative to eachother to grip the leading end of the pile filler presented thereto bysaid needle, and a cam on said arm positioned to be actuated by the layto actuate the gripper-operating mechanism to release the pile.

LEROY N. LINSCOTT.

